Wichita eagle., 1887-06-02
DETECTIVE METHODS.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PO-
LICE AND CRIMINALS.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PO-
LICE AND CRIMINALS.
Work that II Very Dull and Prosaic, but
Professionals-The Weeks Murder.
Questioning the Crooks.
Nothing better illustrates the new relation
ship between criminals and the police than
the curious features Of police work. No
longer is it the case that the head of detec-
tive force, upon being confronted with q
mysterious crime, picks out a man in his
command and says:
Robinson. here is penknife and a pair
Of rubbers left by a mysterious murderer;
take them and track him down"
That was the old way it still IS in the
country, and man had to be a Vidocq to
do the work. Persons nowadays who think
the romantic detective work of fiction and
the stage are like the work Of to-day marvel
greatly when they see stupid looking,
coarse. clumsy fellow, such as some New
York detectives are, and say to themselves:
''Is it possible that such man can play as
many parts as . great actor and possesses
q mind both broad and subtle, capable of
Vidocq's workp
Nonsensel No. It is only once in while
that such genius IS needed, and then if he is
not at hand we get along without him. and
add another crime to the list Of mysteries,
la Burdell. Ia Nathan. la Ross and Ia
Stewards body
The basis of detective work now is tho ac-
quaintance Of detectives with criminals.
Every such fine tooth combing as this one
just finished enlarges that acquaintance and
makes it deeper. It's frightfully dull and
prosaic, but it's found to be practical and
reasonably efficient. For instance, we bave
a large force here in New York under In
spector Byrnes and Superintendent Murray
There are about fifty full fedged detective
sergeants, who are paid and rank IS police
sergeants, and there are about 100 detectives,
who rank as patroimen. The latter are
keenly ambitious to become sergeants: the
sergeants are equally ambitious not to be re-
duced to their former rank as patrolnlen.
There you have the motive of the corps.
Each one has his work cut out for him, and
he makes himself proficient in that during
dull times.
A CLOSE ACQUAINTANCE.
Just before the Weeks murder, for instance,
such conversations as these occurred between
Byrnes and his men:
@Mr. Ryan, is Jack Sheppard still living in
Harlem, and does he hang out in McMann's
gin mill, and is that woman still with him!,
II don't think there's been any change. sir,n
Is the reply.
"Well, run up to Harlem and find ont all
about him and what he is up to. Mr.. Dovle,
eHiy, t0 II
your parties, Blueskin, Red Leary, Guy
Fawkes and the Kid Find out all about
'em."
A prodigious amount OF knowledge Is
gained and kept up in this way. Give each
man several subjects, as each one has, and
the result is that there is not a professional in
town who cannot be located in an hour if he
is in town, or tracked if out of town. This
knowledge embraces close acquaintance
with the habits Of the crooks, their mis-
tresses, friends, the liquor stores and gam
bling hells they frequent, the fences where
they borrow when hard up, and the lines Of
work on which they operate, as we'll as the
gangs they operate with. 1t is said that our
city detectives know all this absolutely But
this Weeks case went beyond all this When
they ceased their blind and general work and
settled upon Greenwell, of the lodging house
gang, as the man, they said that they knew
from the first that the crime was not the
work Of good men. Professional criminals
are always spoken respectfully OF By the po-
lice as good men. The truth probably is that
they felt pretty certain It was not the work Of
professional, because it did not tally with
professional methods.
"Good men, said Superintendent Murray,
3will do anything rather than shoot when
they are cracking place. They will giveup
the job, run away, or even take bea ing be-
fore they viii pull trigger 1t is only when
they are cornered and see long sentence
staring them in the face that they will COM
NIT an assault, and then they prefer not to
dn.s
But whatever the police knew, they despised
no efforts, however contrary to reason. that
might lead to the capture of Weeks slayer
With very few exceptions every captain,
ward fly cop, sergeant and roundsman in
New York, and very many patrolnen be-
sides, interested themselves in this case. and
as each one knew some criminals, criminals
friends. haunt or women, the cinder heap got
. good sitting.
HELP FROM THE CROOKS
And thus we come to the curious relation
ship existing between these forces naturally
% hostile. The police made the crooks help
them. They almost always do. Seymour,
the detective, hunted up Redney, the bunco
man.
@Redney." said the detective, Il want to
get on to this Weeks job. II you get tip
let's have it, old man; what dye sayi Will
yerr
Redney says he will. and so does every
crook the detective has such a conversation
With, which is about every one he meets.
While this was going on other distinguished
crooks were being tapped on the shoulder and
hidden To 'be at the central Office tomorrow,
the super wants to see yoU;' or ~the inspector
wants you" They came in every instance.
knowing that they must. They were politely
questioned. It was interesting; it a.
ways is interesting to see how differ
emily different ones behaved Some
burglars and sneaks and forgers
consider it great honor 70 be in demand in
this way. 1t hstters their vanity TO be
called on and 70 find themselves in OIL easy
chat with authority clothed in blue and
starred with gold. They become as loquaciou.
as women. Others are sullen and defiant
They want nothing TO do with authority
They consider themselves abused These las,
ara in the minority, however and it has been
found that 10th sorts viii tell the truth il il
will help them or IL they ara not interested in
the case. 4 scrutiny OF all the f,-i.ce and